Over the last week I tweeted out (@athletefitcoach) a dozen motivational quotes on what to do when you get tired (under the hash tag #ENERGIZE). This post is just an expansion of those motivational tweets, as they relate to soccer performance.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 – “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant, and if they watch every cloud they will never harvest.”

What I think this means is that we cannot let the thought that we might fail drive us towards a decision not to act. Someone who is afraid, tired or hesitant will never get around to putting in the work required to get better. This leads to a lack of confidence to take the shot, make the run or step up and be the vocal leader your team may need.

In other words, fatigue makes cowards of us all.

Some of life’s greatest tests or challenges come at us when we are tired. Why??? I think this is because God stretches us, pushes us to increase our ability to endure, so that we may have the courage to withstand life’s challenges. If you can avoid the weary phase in this cycle (where we become tired and lose interest or focus) and fight through the fatigue by locking in on a goal that heightens our motivation to succeed, you will eventually reap the reward of victory.

Another one of my favorite quotes say something to the effect of… “On the plains of hesitation, lie the bleached white bones of those, who on the verge of victory, sat and waited. And waiting there, they died.”

On the road to victory, we all go through a weary phase where we lose focus or begin to fatigue. That is when we must review our goals, refocus our mission and re-energize our life. Sometimes, when you feel the greatest pressure, and when you are at your lowest point where all those around you are giving in…it is at that point that you are on the verge of a great victory.

No matter what, we will all reach this point of mental and physical exhaustion. But some of us will find a way to fight through. If you never reach the point of wanting to give up or quit, then you have set your goals too low.

I will leave you with this today… As fatigue sets in and there seems to be no possible way for you to get through these difficult times, what do you want others to see? What will you do? What will you say? Whether you know it or not, people (teammates, parents, coaches, employers, etc.) are watching you.

At times like these, will you be the one whose voice is positive? Will your words be like a beam of light that guides others through the dark times? Will you talk to yourself in the right way, not speaking about what or where you ARE, but instead about what you will soon BECOME. Tommy Saunders called it “Fake Enthusiasm,” and it’s contagious! Watch a group conditioning session where one player is fighting off the urge to give up by encouraging his or her teammates. Once those words come out of his or her mouth, they have made a commitment to finish strong. Lead and others will follow. Fight through adversity and you will become strong.

Today make a commitment to yourself and to your team, “Don’t become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a great harvest… if we refuse to give in.” – Galatians 6-9

The Complete SoccerFIT Training Program

Get access to our entire program: Stability/Plyos, Speed/Agility, Strength/Power, Skill and Fitness in an organized, video based manual that progresses you through our Comfort, Developing, Emerging and Peaking levels...
Click Here for Access!